Reunion
by Like the Orange Drink
Summary: The "original" 10th Doctor and Rose meet again in the parallel universe. This story is a distant sequel to "The Doctor's Hand."
1. Chapter 1

Rose walked slowly through the terraced garden behind the great house of the Tyler estate. Roses of every hue sent their soft fragrance through the close August air. But Rose barely noticed, as she was so intent on reaching the white gazebo sitting across the wide lawn near the start of the tree line. The afternoon was warm and still, but a storm was imminent. Rose could feel the telling ache in her knees, and she leaned more heavily on her carved walking stick. Anne, the Tyler's housekeeper, would probably scold her for risking getting caught in the rain. But Anne was a widow too, albeit a much younger one, and would understand her need to be in this place today. Rose reached the gazebo at last, navigated the two small steps to the screen door and slipped inside. She sank into the cushioned wicker love seat and closed her eyes. She could see him still, almost feel him there beside her. The Doctor in the latest version of his pinstriped blue suite, his hair silver, but still as thick and tousled as it ever was. She reached out her hand and could nearly feel his fingers curl around hers, just as they had that very last time, exactly one year ago today. A sudden cool breeze lifted Rose's soft white curls from the back of her neck. A shiver went through her as she struggled to stand and make her way back to the house. The storm was coming.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the top shelf of Rose's wardrobe, from a small drawer of a nearly forgotten jewelry box, a small blue light pulsed briefly, and then went still.

* * *

Rose sat in a small kitchen at a well polished oak table, enjoying an early supper. This was not the grand main kitchen from the estate's heyday. In fact, most of the house had been closed off. Rose now occupied the former butler's apartment which included this kitchen, a sitting room, and a bedroom. Rose had made it in before the rain, but now it could be heard lashing at the windows. A crash of thunder occasionally disturbed the cozy room. Anne, a small, energetic woman in her mid-sixties bustled about near the sink, washing up and putting things away.

"I'll be off in a few minutes then," said Anne drying her hands. "Daniel is picking me up to take me to Zachary's orchestra concert."

"Daniel's a good son to you Anne," said Rose with a trace of sadness.

"Yes, that he is," she said smiling proudly. "Now remember, I'm staying over with them, and I won't be back until about ten tomorrow. Can you manage your own breakfast?"

"Sure, I think I'll make chips."

"Rose," said Anne with mock disapproval, "chips for breakfast!"

"Why not? You only live once . . . thankfully."

Anne came over to sit in the chair kitty-corner from Rose. "Oh my dear, I'm sorry to be leaving you alone tonight, today of all days."

"It's all right Anne. We went over this already. I will not let you miss your one-and-only grandson's big night. Besides, I've had my time to remember, and feel a little sorry for myself. And now I'm fine. I'm just going to sit and watch the storm for awhile, and then go straight to bed. I won't get into any trouble, promise," Rose said with a smile.

Anne gave Rose's hand a squeeze. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony began playing from under the table. "Oh, that'll be Daniel." Anne took a phone from her pocket and flipped it open. "Hello? . . . All right. See you in a minute." She stood up, put the phone in her pocket, and looked back at Rose. "He's parked on the side drive. I'll just go collect my things and be off. There's tea waiting in the sitting room."

"Thanks Anne. Have a good time."

"Good night, dear. See you tomorrow." Anne left the kitchen, her shoes clicking down the hall.

Rose finished supper, found the walking stick, and slowly brought her dishes to the sink. Thunder rumbled as she walked down the short hall to the sitting room. She took a seat in a comfortable chair facing a small bay window. She could just see the edge of the gazebo from here. The trees behind it swayed erratically in the wind. "No stars tonight," murmured Rose. She remembered how in those early years, she and the Doctor had lay on the wide lawn, searching the sky, making plans. When even damp grass had become too much of an adventure for their old bones, the Doctor had the retractable roof installed in the gazebo. From then on, they'd done their star gazing and reminiscing in comfort.

Rose was just about to pour some tea when the doorbell rang, sounding like a solemn grandfather clock announcing the top of the hour. Surprised that anyone coming to see her would bother to use the formal front door, Rose made her way through the kitchen, down the hall and out into cathedral ceilinged entry way, turning on lights as she went. An electric feeling of expectation washed over her as she reached the door and pulled it slowly open. She squinted into a blinding light and could just make out the dark silhouette of a tall man with familiar tousled hair, blowing in the wind.

"Rose?" he said tentatively.

"Doctor!" responded Rose excitedly, then added quietly "I've died then."

"What?"

"And here you are to lead me to the bright light, just like in all the stories!" she exclaimed. Just then, she looked down at her wrinkled hand still clutching the walking stick. Her brow furrowed, "But why am I still old?"

"Rose, can I come in?"

"Sure," Rose murmured distractedly, taking a few steps back to let him in.

The Doctor stepped in, shut the door and leaned against is briefly. Straightening up with renewed energy, the Doctor explained, "First of all, Rose Tyler, you are very much alive. That was not the light of heaven, but a searchlight from an alien ship, looking for me. Long story." Taking a step toward Rose, "Now, how about you and I----"

But Rose cut him off, "You've come forward in time then."

The Doctor gave her a quizzical look.

"You must have timed it extremely well. I don't ever remember you going off without me."

"Rose . . ." said the Doctor tenderly as he took another step and entered the circle of light cast by the crystal chandelier.

Rose began to tremble. She reached out her hand and touched the Doctor's sleeve. "Oh my God! Is that suit brown?" The walking stick clattered on the marble floor. The Doctor lunged forward to catch the barely conscious Rose in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor carried Rose toward the back of the house, following the trail of lights. He found the sitting room, and placed Rose half sitting, half lying on the sofa. Rose's eyes fluttered open. "Perhaps you should have phoned first."

The Doctor smiled weakly. "How are you?"

"I'm all right. But shame on you, scaring a poor old woman half to death."

"I'm sorry, Rose," he said sincerely. He gave her a sly, sideways look. "You know, you don't look so very old to me."

"Hmph!" muttered a disbelieving Rose.

"Your eyes are so young." They held each other's gaze for a long moment.

"And yours are so old. What have you been up to since we last met?"

"Oh, this and that."

"I'll bet," said Rose derisively. "How on earth did you get here? I thought it was impossible?"

"I happened upon some old Time Lord technology. Well, some pirated Time Lord technology. It allowed me to make a gate between the two universes. Actually, Jack was the one who found it, washed up in the rift in Cardiff."

Rose surreptitiously patted her hair in place and tried to sit up a little straighter. "Oh, is Jack here?"

"Aw, Rose! Still? It's been at least sixty years!"

"Captain Jack is not an easy man to forget. Besides, what about you? Ya jealous much?"

"Never."

Rose smirked

"And, no, Jack is not here," the Doctor said flatly.

Rose lay back against the cushion, then sat up suddenly "Did you say something about aliens chasing you back there? Are we safe?"

"Absolutely safe. Well, very probably, anyhow. The Sepiidans squeezed through the gate right behind the T.A.R.D.I.S. They seem to be after this. " The Doctor pulled a palm-sized bronze-colored disk out of his pocket. A faint blue light blinked rhythmically in its center. "This is the gate maker."

"And why are they after it?"

"Well, it might possibly belong to them," he said sheepishly. "It's emitting a tracking signal that I've been able to dim, but not extinguish. The T.A.R.D.I.S. is sending out a decoy signal to confuse them. They should be in Australia by now."

"So, you've stolen it."

"No, only found! And now borrowed, for an extended amount of time. I wanted to see you."

Rose grinned. "Do you want some tea?"

The Doctor grinned back. "Sure."

Rose leaned toward the low table and poured two cups. The Doctor walked slowly around the room. He stopped by the fireplace and studied the framed photographs displayed on the mantle. He picked up a picture of the "human" Doctor and Rose arm in arm on their wedding day, and brought it back to the sofa. "Ah, beautiful!" he said sitting down next to Rose. "_Molto bene_!"

Rose blushed, and opened her mouth to say 'thank you,' but the Doctor continued. "I should get a gray suit with tails. Look how good he looks in that. And if _he _does . . . well, it goes without saying."

Rose gave the Doctor a resigned look. "He wouldn't wear a black tuxedo. Never would. Drove Pete mad, never wearing a black tie to any black tie functions." Rose's eyes filled with tears. "He's gone, you know," she whispered.

"I know," replied the Doctor softly. "I had a faint psychic connection to him. Then one day, I couldn't feel it anymore." They sat in silence, sipping their tea.

"So you lived here, then? With Pete and . . . Jackie," he said, sounding unwell.

"Hey, no speaking ill of the dead," Rose scolded.

"I didn't!"

"I stand corrected. No grimacing at the dead." She looked out the window. The wind was dying down. "It wasn't so bad. At first, we had a wing of the house all to ourselves. And then later, we had other special . . . accommodations. Would you like to see them?"

"Sure."

Rose reached down, searching for her walking stick. She muttered, "Oh, right." Then turning to the Doctor, "Doctor, could you go get my cane? It should be in the foyer."

The Doctor sprang up and headed for the door. "Be right back." He slowed suddenly as another photograph, this one on a high bookshelf near the door, caught his eye. He stared at the image of a slightly older Doctor swooping a grinning blond boy toward the camera. "Is this . . ." he swallowed and tried again, "Is this your son?"

"Yes," said Rose, "That's Lonnie."

"Lonnie?"

"Alonso."

"Oh ho! _Allons-y_ Alonso!" laughed the Doctor. "You are a very understanding woman!"

"Well, Lonnie loved it, too . . .for about the first eleven and a half years of his life. And then his father about drove him bonkers."

"Where is Lonnie now?"

"Far away," Rose said tersely.

"What, like America or something?"

"Just get the cane, please."

"Yes, M'um."

Rose leaned back and closed her eyes. She considered the possibility that she might wake up soon, and find everything back to normal. She hoped not.

"I love this!" said the Doctor on returning. He held Rose's walking stick horizontally in two hands. "Did the Doctor make these carvings?"

"Yes," said Rose, reaching out to take the cane.

"And which one are you---Little Red Riding Hood, or the Wolf?"

Rose stood up slowly. "The Wolf, of course," she said grinning.

Rose led the way out the door. The Doctor followed half a step behind.

"Do you remember anything about that day--- the day you actually were the Bad Wolf?"

"I'm not sure that I have my own memories, just pictures in my head from what you and my Doctor told me."

The Doctor winced at the use of the possessive pronoun.

"I know I helped defeat the Dalek Emperor," Rose continued.

"You were fantastic!"

"And what happened to Jack," she said quietly.

"He's fine, really. Took him some time to adjust, but he's having a great time, saving the world, breaking hearts---the usual.

Rose and the Doctor walked steadily to the other side of the house, passing rooms with covered furniture and several closed doors along the way.

"Here we are," said Rose opening an unremarkable white painted door. She flipped on a light switch to reveal a long set of stairs going down. Rose shifted her cane to her left hand in order to grab the railing on the right.

"Allow me," said the Doctor. He took the cane from Rose, and took her left hand in his. He grinned down at her.

"Don't say it!" warned Rose as they started down the stairs.

"I wasn't going to say anything!" protested the Doctor.

"Stop thinking so loud then."

"Have you developed psychic powers?"

"No, but I've lived with 'almost you' for over sixty years. I think that makes me fairly well qualified to read your mind."

"Quite."

As they neared the bottom of the stairs, Rose explained smiling, " 'Run' is a little out of my league. In those last few years, both of us were using canes. The Doctor used to take my hand and shout 'Hobble!'"

The Doctor smiled and looked at Rose searchingly. "You had a good life together, then?"

"It was a gift," said Rose, eyes shining. "Thank you."

Rose turned on the light at the bottom of the stairs and stepped into a small room cluttered with old gardening tools and sacks of fertilizer. Stairs on the far side of the room led up to a bulkhead with doors opening to the back lawn. The Doctor took it all in with a glance. "So, you and the Doctor took up gardening. Great exercise, creative outlet . . . erm, good for you," he added lamely.

"No, you dolt. Give us a little credit. Door's on the left." She reached out for her cane. The Doctor gave it back, but still held on to her hand. Rose led him toward what looked like an ancient fuse box, hanging slightly askew on the wall. She leaned her cane against the wall, opened the rusted metal door with hinges squeaking. Inside, the Doctor was surprised to see a high tech console for some kind of security system. Rose typed in a quick series of numbers and a small panel opened. A clear orb rotated up from inside the compartment and proceeded to scan Rose's eye with a glow of green light. With a click and a hiss, a panel in the wall to the left of the consul opened.

"Impressive. Think that scan would work for me?"

"Probably."

Lights above came on automatically as they entered a large L-shaped room. The Doctor gaped, opened mouthed, at what managed to simultaneously look like an ultramodern lab, workshop, and scrap heap. "This is brilliant! I had a lab just like this in the T.A.R.D.I.S. Probably still do, just haven't wandered by there in awhile."

"Imagine that," said Rose, eyes twinkling.

"Ooh, you're scary. You know everything now. Not much of a man of mystery to you anymore, am I?"

Rose shrugged. "We still have sixty years of catching up to do. Come on, I have one more thing to show you."


	3. Chapter 3

Rose and the Doctor walked down the long room, the Doctor admiring various works in progress along the way. They turned left around the corner to see a familiar blue box.

"It worked!" exclaimed the Doctor, placing a hand lovingly along the edge of the T.A.R.D.I.S. "That Donna really was amazing."

"Wait. You knew?" said Rose, incredulous. "The Doctor told me that _Donna_ had given him the coral from your T.A.R.D.I.S, not you."

"Right. And it was Donna who had the brilliant idea on how to accelerate its growth. I thought . . ." the Doctor grimaced, "_your_ Doctor would be too reckless to have a T.A.R.D.I.S. I was afraid he wouldn't keep you safe. But then I remembered that time I was stranded on Earth." He shuddered. "I couldn't put another of my selves through that. Or you." He gave Rose long look. "So I didn't stop Donna when I found her hacking off a bit of coral in the console room. She broke a nail for you."

"I was told she had to give up a lot more than that."

"Yes." The Doctor turned abruptly back to the T.A.R.D.I.S. "Can we go in?"

Rose let go of the Doctor's hand and pulled a silver chain up from under her collar. "Let me get the key."

"I'll get it." The Doctor pulled a key from his pocket and tried to insert it in the lock, but it wouldn't go in. "He installed different locks?!" he said, disbelieving. "Was he afraid I'd be popping in from the parallel universe like some freeloading relation?"

Rose stepped forward with her key in hand and unlocked the door. "No, it was me. I needed to keep things separate in some way. The T.A.R.D.I.S. key you gave me . . . it was the only thing I had that kept me connected to you."

"Oh," the Doctor said thoughtfully.

Rose pushed open the door and they stepped inside.

"It looks exactly the same!" the Doctor said happily. He practically danced around the control console, patting levers and buttons affectionately. He stopped short. "Well, except for that sofa," he said, pointing to a comfortable looking couch, mostly covered with a cream-colored afghan, that sat to the left of the console. "Do you really need that in here?" He walked over and sat down, bouncing a little on the cushions. "And why is it facing the wall?"

Rose walked over to sit beside him. "First of all, I already won this argument---a long, long time ago. What have you got against comfortable furniture, anyhow?" Not expecting an answer, she continued "And secondly, I'll show you why it faces this way----" she reached down into the cushions, "---if I can just find it."

"What are you looking for?"

"Sonic screwdriver."

"Ah, very good. Glad your Doctor didn't have to be without one." He knelt down to look under the sofa, then reached between the cushion and the armrest. "Got it!" He smiled, holding up the favored instrument. The Doctor's face fell. "It's pink," he said, stunned. "Interesting choice. Your Doctor must have been quite secure in his masculinity."

Rose reached out her hand, "Oh, just give it here! It's _my_ sonic screwdriver . . . and I made it."

"Well, well. Good for you."

Rose pointed the screwdriver at the wall in front of them. A three foot by six foot area gradually became transparent to reveal the white wall of the lab beyond. "Picture window."

"Nice!" They sat companionably for a minute. Then the Doctor turned to face Rose. "Rose, where is Lonnie?"

Rose sighed, "London."

"When?"

Rose closed her eyes, thinking. "Relative to my personal time line, he should be in 4157."

"And you haven't seen him in a while, have you?"

"It's been about five years."

"Because the T.A.R.D.I.S. became too much to handle as you got older?"

"Exactly. We said our good-byes, came back here, the Doctor put the T.A.R.D.I.S. in stand-by mode, and that was that," said Rose sadly.

"But why didn't you stay with Lonnie, or have Lonnie come back here?"

"Oh, we thought about it. But somehow, this was still my home, my touchstone. Mum and Pete are buried here. Tony, my brother, is in America, but I can still be in touch with him from here." Rose paused and looked away. She continued tearfully, "And how would you have ever found me if we had stayed in the 42nd century?"

"Aw, Rose." The Doctor touched Rose's cheek, wiping away a tear.

Rose took a deep breath, willfully composing herself. "Lonnie offered to move back here, but we wouldn't let him. He has a great life, exactly what he always wanted."

"How did he end up in the 4100's?"

"It's a long story. Sure you want to hear it."

"Yep," said the Doctor, popping the 'p.'"

"Well, when Lonnie was twenty-two, we went to 4126 to liberate the Ood."

The Doctor grinned. "You don't say."

"I know, I know. Doctor always did feel like he was cheating on that one. In any case, everything went as planned. The Ood were set to come home to their planet, and the Doctor and I were ready for the next adventure. But Lonnie insisted we go to Earth and help with sending the Ood home. He didn't think everyone would be willing to give up their servants so easily. He'd been like that since he was small. Always wondering what would happen next for the people we helped, always wanting to stay and do more." Rose paused and looked into the Doctor's eyes. "You know, you charged me with making the Doctor better, but I think it was Lonnie that made us both better people."

The Doctor nodded, understanding. "So, what did you do?"

"We went to Earth and joined up with Friends of the Ood. That's where Lonnie met Ruth. They were inseparable. I knew right away he would never be able to leave her. When the work was finished, we planned to take Ruth with us, but Lonnie had other ideas. You see, he had grown up in the T.A.R.D.I.S. He spent a little bit of time here, visiting with his grandparents and uncle, but his life was rarely anchored in a specific time. I'm not sure that he even knew how much he longed for a more ordinary life, and his own place in time, until he met Ruth and her family."

"Just like Susan," murmured the Doctor.

"Your granddaughter."

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, heartbroken as he was, I think the Doctor was more understanding than I was, having been through it before. Although, after Lonnie left, I think I understood my mum better than I ever had."

The Doctor jumped up, suddenly energized. "Let's go see Lonnie!"

"Now?"

"This minute!" He walked over to the control console. "I think I can get this ol' T.A.R.D.I.S powered up and running. I'm itching to take her for a spin."

Rose turned to peer over the back of the sofa at the Doctor. "Oh, I'd love to see Lonnie. But right now, I'm a tired old lady. Can't you stay tonight, and take me to him in the morning?"

The Doctor looked at the monitor, newly restored to life, on the console. "Rose, is this date right---August 7th, 2072?"

"Yes."

"Not July 8th?" asked the Doctor, raising an eyebrow.

"No."

The Doctor began flipping switches on the console. "Rose, I think we should go now."

"Why, what's going to happen?" Rose gave him a sharp look.

"Nothing," he lied. "I'm just excited to meet your son. He is my nephew, after all. Well, sort of."

"Right," Rose said, sceptically. "Okay. Let's go. I'll just take a little rest here."

"Good thing you have that lovely sofa."

"Shut up," laughed Rose. She plumped up a pillow and lay down. The Doctor continued to work, readying the T.A.R.D.I.S. after its long "sleep." Several minutes later, he was startled by Rose's panicked cry.

"Doctor! Something's wrong."

The Doctor hurried to her side. He crouched down beside the sofa and took her hand. "What is it?"

Rose clutched her other hand to her chest. "Pain," she gasped.

The Doctor let go of Rose's hand and reached in his pocket for his sonic screwdriver. He set it humming and waved it slowly over Rose's head and chest. "You're having a heart attack. The T.A.R.D.I.S. is almost ready to go. I'll take you to hospital!" He stood up to go back to the controls, but Rose grabbed his arm.

"Hospital or no, it won't make a difference, will it?" she whispered.

The Doctor didn't answer. He knelt down beside her and pulled a small glass vial of amber liquid from his pocket. "Here, drink this. It won't cure you, but it will relieve the pain." He lifted her head and put the vial to her lips.

"You can't change this, can you Doctor?"

The Doctor looked away and put the empty vial back in his pocket. "No," he said finally. He turned back to face her. "This feels fixed in time."

"Then I want to stay here." Rose relaxed into the cushions. The pain was easing. "How did you know it would be today?"

"I was here, about a year from now. The estate was for sale. I couldn't go in the house, so I walked the grounds. Found the family memorial garden. Read the markers." His voice broke with emotion. "I'm sorry. I got here later than I meant to. I thought we'd have more time."

"It's all right. I'm just so happy you did come back." She smiled at him through her tears. "And after you went to such lengths to avoid just this."

The Doctor took both of Rose's hands in his. "I couldn't--" He broke off, trying to steady his voice. "I didn't want you to die alone."

Rose sighed and closed her eyes. The Doctor leaned forward, brushed the hair from her forehead and kissed her softly. "Rose Tyler . . . I love you," he whispered.

A ghost of a smile touched Rose's lips. "I know," she said. And then, her heart stopped.


	4. Chapter 4

Still kneeling at her side, the Doctor gazed at Rose's peaceful face for a moment. He gently crossed her arms over her chest. A wave of grief caught him off guard. Bowed over Rose's body, the Doctor covered his face with his hands and wept. A single tear escaped between his fingers, fell to Rose's hand, and evaporated with a faint sizzle. Startled by the unexpected sound, the Doctor took his hands from his face to look at Rose more closely. At first, he saw nothing unusual. He pulled a handkerchief from the depths of his pocket and wiped his eyes. When he looked again, he noticed a yellow light skittering over Rose's hands and face.

"What?" he said flatly. The light intensified and began to spark. The Doctor scrambled backward, sitting down hard with his back against the wall underneath the picture window. Sparkling gold light now exploded from where Rose's hands and head had been.

"Now that's just cheating!" exclaimed the Doctor, squinting and shielding his eyes.

As quickly as it started, the brilliant light soon faded away. The Doctor stood up and walked cautiously back to the sofa. A petite woman with shoulder length hair, appearing to be in her late twenties, was sleeping there. The Doctor watched her chest rise and fall for a minute or two, then pulled out his stethoscope. He listened carefully at various places on her chest, then pulled the earpieces from his ears. A slow smile spread across his face. At that very moment, Rose's eyelids flew open, revealing bright blue eyes. The first thing she saw was the Doctor's grinning face.

"Hello," she said, smiling back.

"Hello," he said simply, grinning wider still.

"I feel better," Rose said. As she started to sit up, her hair swung forward over her shoulders. "What hap---"

"Rose!" exclaimed the Doctor, cutting her off, "You're ginger!"

"What?" Rose felt the top of her head, then slowly moved her fingers down to the end of a lock hair. "It's longer. how long have I been aslee--?"

"Aargh!" cried the Doctor, running his hands through his hair. He began to pace around the console room. "Ten times, nothing. Now you end up all lovely and red-headed on your first try!" he grumped, standing before her again.

"First try for what? Tell me what's going on Doctor!" As she gestured pleadingly with her arms, Rose noticed that her sleeves were covering all but the tips of her fingers, and she began to roll them up. She stopped suddenly, seeing the smooth skin on the backs of her hands. "Now I must be dead." She looked up at the Doctor. "But you're still wearing brown!" She looked down at the cuffs of her pants covering her shoes. "Are you sure I was having a heart attack? I seem to have shrunk."

The Doctor sat down next to Rose and took her hands in his. His brown eyes searched her blue ones. "Rose, you've regenerated."

Rose pulled her hands from his, gasped, and covered her mouth in shock. "Impossible!" she finally sputtered.

"Hey, that's my line."

"But why? How?" Rose stammered. "Am I still human?"

"Mostly. I think," replied the Doctor. "Although you do have two hearts."

Rose put her hands to her chest, then covered her face and groaned. "I just can't believe it." She began to shiver. "I'm terribly cold."

"Ah, yes. That's to be expected. Your metabolism is going exceptionally fast. You'll probably be very hungry soon." The Doctor reached behind her to pull the afghan from the back of the sofa and wrap it around her. He jumped up suddenly, a look of disgust contorting his face, and stared at a spot near Rose's head.

"What's the matter!" exclaimed Rose as she felt the top and sides of her head. "Have I got horns? Big ears?"

"Purple paisley," said the Doctor in a strangled voice.

Rose turned to look at the place where afghan had been. "Would you forget about the upholstery, already! Come and help me figure this out!" she demanded.

"May have gotten your mother's temper, this time," mumbled the Doctor. He sat down gingerly next to Rose.

Rose gave him a stern look, but didn't comment. She took a deep breath. "Now, slowly, and in language I can understand, please tell me how I could have possibly regenerated."

"I'm . . . not . . . sure," said the Doctor slowly.

"Argh! Useless!" cried Rose.

"Sorry. I'll tell you what I think happened. Bad Wolf."

"But I don't really remember that at all," sighed an exasperated Rose.

"Well, what were you thinking about before you opened up the T.A.R.D.I.S., before the T.A.R.D.I.S. looked into you?"

"All I wanted was to get back to you," said Rose. She looked into the distance, remembering. "To help you fight the Daleks, and then to stay with you . . ."

"Forever," they said together, their eyes meeting.

Rose's hand flew to her mouth again. "Oh my God! I've regenerated!" She sat quietly, thinking a moment. "But I didn't know what regeneration was. At the time, I didn't even know that _you_ regenerated."

"As the Bad Wolf, you did know," said the Doctor simply.

"But why did I age first? You never age."

The Doctor shrugged. "As the Bad Wolf, you had incredible powers. You could see all that ever was, all that is, all that ever could be. Perhaps you saw the possibility of a human life with your Doctor, and worked it out so you could have that too."

Rose thought some more. "But you saw my grave stone."

"Well, the 90-year-old Rose that---"

"Eighty-seven!" exclaimed Rose offended.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "The _eighty-seven-_year-old Rose that everyone here knows, is gone. Perhaps it'll just be easier for the new you to let everyone believe you died."

"Huh," said Rose, trying hard to take it all in. "So," she said at last, "how do I look?"

The Doctor grinned, but didn't answer. He took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the picture window. The window gradually silvered to become a mirror. Rose shook off the blanket, stood and took a few shaky steps toward the wall. She peered into the mirror, turning her head slowly from side to side, lifted and lowered her arms a few times, turned and looked over her shoulder, then finally faced the mirror again and reached out to touch her fingertips to their reflection. She shook her head. "Turn it back. It's like looking at a stranger," she waved her hand at the mirror, "who copies well."

"You get used to it," said the Doctor lightly, as he made the mirror transparent once again.

"Ooh!" said Rose, startled. "But not quite as strange as them. Doctor, who're they?" She pointed to two beings that were peering at her through the glass. Each was about six feet tall, had a long, oblong head, two iridescent bulging eyes, and eight arms coming out of its face.

"Oops! Found me." The Doctor turned the window back to a plain wall and leaped to the monitor. "Those are Sepiidans. Kind of look like a cuttlefish, don't they?" he asked as he began to work the controls.

"Because they're so cuddly?" said Rose, aghast.

"Well, I suppose their mothers think so. But no, I said cutt-le-fish," the Doctor said slowly, annunciating the 't'. "Like squid. When they get really nervous, they spray a brown acidic fluid in an eight foot arc."

"Let's not make them nervous, then."

"Good plan. They've come for the gate maker. I need to get back to my T.A.R.D.I.S. and lead them back to my universe." The Doctor pushed a button and engaged the engines, but did not yet take off.

In the lab, the Sepiidans heard the grind of the engines. The Doctor and Rose watched them in the console's monitor as one of them spoke a command into one of his many wrists. A few seconds later they disappeared into a haze of purple light. "Transported back to their ship," explained the Doctor. "They need to be ready to follow me."

"Where's your T.A.R.D.I.S.?" asked Rose.

"In the woods, behind the estate. The Sepiidans will be able to locate me in a minute or so, now that they've tracked the gate maker's true signal." He turned to Rose, "I'll need to go soon after we land."

"I'll go with you. But when everything's settled, come with me to see Lonnie. I could use your help explaining all this." She gestured vaguely from her head to her knees and smiled up at the Doctor.

The Doctor flipped the final switch, and the T.A.R.D.I.S. was transported nearly instantaneously to the woods. The Doctor looked up from the controls and off into the distance. "You know, Rose, it's a funny old life," he said softly.

Rose's smile vanished.

"I can't let the Sepiidans keep the gate maker. They aren't very dangerous, but they are shrewd businessmen. Now that they've seen what it can do, they'll want to sell the gate maker to the highest bidder. I can't let this technology get into the wrong hands. If I can't negotiate, I'll have to destroy it. If you come with me, you might not be able to get back."

She nodded, tears in her eyes. "I can't leave Lonnie, now that I have another chance to be a part of his life."

"I know," said the Doctor, tucking a stray strand of her copper hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, Rose. I have to go."

"I'll walk you to your door, at least. Come on." She reached out her hand. The Doctor grabbed hold and they walked together out the door and into the woods. The first light of dawn was just beginning to filter in between the tree trunks. Birds sang and darted busily up in the leaves. The Doctor's T.A.R.D.I.S. sat about 10 feet from where they'd landed.

The Doctor let go of Rose's hand to unlock the door. He returned the key to his pocket, then turned back to Rose.

Rose was looking around at the rain spattered undergrowth, now sparkling in low rays of sun, and then up to the high branches moving gently in the breeze. She brought her gaze back to meet the Doctor's eyes. "Well, at least it's not the beach."

The Doctor smiled weakly, opened his mouth to speak, but Rose cut him off by jumping into his arms and kissing him fiercely on the lips. "Come back to me," she whispered in his ear.

The Doctor held Rose for as long as he dared, then reluctantly let her go. "I'll try." His smile was stronger now. "Maybe the third time's the charm. After this, no more goodbyes."

"No more goodbyes," echoed Rose softly.

They both looked up as a loud humming filled the air. The Sepiidan ship hovered just above the tree tops.

The Doctor gave Rose one last look and ducked quickly into his T.A.R.D.I.S. She heard the engines grind and watched the blue box gradually fade from view. The Sepiidan ship rocketed away soon after.

Rose squared her shoulders and walked back to her T.A.R.D.I.S. Her mind was already working out a plan. She was just opening the door, when she heard the sound of the Doctor's T.A.R.D.I.S. returning. Rose gaped as the blue box became solid. The door squeaked open, and the Doctor poked his head out.

"Rose!" he called. "Don't leave your T.A.R.D.I.S. in the lab!"

"Why not?"

He pointed to his eye. "You might not be able to get back in!"

"Ah."

The Doctor waved goodbye, closed the door, and the T.A.R.D.I.S. disappeared once again.

"So maybe the fourth time will be the charm," muttered Rose. She pushed the door to the T.A.R.D.I.S. open, her brain working out a slightly different plan. She walked to the sofa and bent down to retrieve her carved walking stick. She had decided to walk back to the house, and while she no longer needed the cane's assistance as a walking aide, she would need it to leave with her note to Anne. She felt a different sadness then, as she thought of her loyal friend. "She'll understand," Rose rationalized. "And without me to look after, she'll have more time for her grandson."

Rose locked the door to the T.A.R.D.I.S. and strode purposefully out of the woods and onto the wide lawn. She turned to look at the white gazebo as she passed, silently saying goodbye. Then she raised her chin and pressed on. She had a lot to do. Smaller clothes to find, a bag to pack, a note to write, and just in case, another key to pocket. Then, off to 4157. But first, chips. She would definitely have chips for breakfast.


End file.
